Myriam HadnesFounder and CEO, workshops.work · Behavioural Economist | workshops.work | Host of the Unprofessionalism & workshops work Podcasts

How to Facilitate a Date with Liberating Structures? #shorts

20 Jun 2022 · 1 min

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In this short anecdote, a facilitator recounts how two facilitators turned a casual bar date into a rapid decision‑making session by applying Liberating Structures. They began with an easy check‑in to establish presence, moved into the "9 Whys" exercise to uncover a deep personal goal (starting a family before age 50), and then opened the conversation to the surrounding crowd of long‑married couples using a fishbowl format. The collective wisdom and structured dialogue led to the bar’s patrons helping the couple secure a wedding venue within a week. The story illustrates that facilitation techniques and Liberating Structures can be effective outside formal workshops or meetings, even in personal, informal contexts.

Chapters

2 facilitators meet at the bar. One says, I went on a date yesterday. Oh, what did you do? Well, we started with an easy check-in. Who are you? Why are you here today? And from there, I got him into the 9 Whys. I found out that he wanted a family before age 50. The perfect scenario for a wicked question. How can we get to know each other, start a family in only 1 week? Luckily, we got a wise crowd just around us. Couples married for 30 years or longer. So a couple of drinks later, we ended up with the entire bar around us in a fishbowl. And you know what? We got the venue booked for our wedding in a week. As you can see, you can use liberating structures and facilitation skills even outside a workshop or a meeting. Good luck with that.